Softballer’s tale of woe

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 48

Softballer’s tale of woe

By TIM DUNBAR Chris John, the Burnside and Canterbury soft-, ball pitcher, is making a belated New Year’s resolution — to stay well clear of anything with two wheels. On the Friday before last John hurt herself when she came off her bicycle on a road made slippery by heavy rain. She required physiotherapy and bad to miss the Old Boys tournament in Timaru. Hardly had John recovered from that mishap when calamity struck again. This time she had chosen a different mode of transport, a motor-cycle, but the results were worse. John said yesterday that she was riding home

after playing softball at Western Park on Sunday when some cyclists got in her path. “One girl turned without looking and I had to drop my bike.” The heavy crash left John with a huge bruise on her thigh, a messylooking knee and cut and swollen hands and wrists. .iY ' The timing could hardly be worse; Burnside leaves early next week to represent Canterbury in the national women’s • ‘inter-club ’ championships, at. Whakatane and John 1 is a vital player, both as pitcher and batter. ' Z . ■ r . At least there was some good news for John yesterday. X-rays taken of the wrist of her pitch-

lug hand showed no broken bones. But she has tried holding a ball in that right

hand and experiencea some discomfort. John, who pitched for the New Zealand No. 2 team in the South Pacific Classic in Melbourne two years ago, is crossing her fingers for a quick recovery and disappearance of the grazes. “I’ll still be going up there (to Whakatane) regardless,” she said. If John is unable to pitch much in the tournament then, she said, it would naturally be harder on the others. Robyn Storer, the playercoach, and the youngster, Mandy Karatau, will have to share the pitching responsibilities and they are key players, in their own areas. ~

.Despite Deing Bruised and sore John was philosophical about her bad run, though she said ruefully that 1987 was “hot a good year.” What did make ber angry was the unsympathetic attitude of the parents of tbe girl involved in Sunday’s accident The father suggested she contact her solicitor if she was concerned about it Chatting to her mother about the two crashes John happened to mention that things go in threes and she was booked on a plane flight next week. “I was just joking,” she said hastily. There is also no truth in the rumour that her team-mates want to change their air tickets. _____